[HOWTO] Expand storage space with Link2SD and SDExt2Mounter

[WhoDunnit]

No i didnt install it was alredy instaled with CM10, version 1.20.2-jb.

Okay. Next step. Does your installation of cm10 support /etc/init.d?

It seems link2sd was having problems with cm10 on other devices too.

Without a cm installed myself thus will be slow going.

-edit-
OK, cm10-ouya does support /etc/init.d I will let SDExt2Mounter write a script for init.d on CM then.

 

[Deen0X]

Hi guys!

i wrote a little guide to use DirectoryBind to "emulate" a memory swap, and install apps and data on external storage (USB Pendrive, HDD, mounted CIFS, etc)

hope you found useful.

Note: Is in spanish. use tranlsator to get a translated version. Hope i get some time and generate a proper English version to post here. If there is any guy that wants to help me translating, it will be nice.

http://manguiro.blogspot.com/2013/07/guia-rapida-bind4swap-directorybind.html

I created another guide, similar to BIND4SWAP, and i use a shared directory on my local net to use as a sdcard on any android device. This is useful if you want to "extend" your storage to a remote location, and you can use the same installed files on many android devices. i.e., i tested and use one single installation of my android applications (nova3 in example), and can load an play on my Ouya, JXDS7300B, JXDS5110B, S908, Motorla Razr, GPD5005, etc... all devices are pointing to the same net resource and load the files, without need of installing files on local device.

note: this guide (CIFS&BIND) is for fast local networks. If you have a slow network, then i suggest to use it for small size games, or games that loads small portions of data (i.e. Bard´s Tale is a game that runs ok in a 100mb speed network)

http://manguiro.blogspot.com/2013/07/cifs-directorybind-sambadroid-cifs.html

Now, i´m working in a new version of the CIFS&BIND guide, but i´m using the OUYA as network resource. I attached a HDD via USB to the console (350GB), and ouya uses as their sdcard (via DirectoryBind). I get over 120 games installed on the ouya... and share all these data to my other devices. I have only a problem for now, i want go create a Access Point Wifi on the Ouya, but all the software i tested hangs or get errors. I want to get advantage of the WIFI antenna of the OUYA because runs at 150mbs (wifi n), that is a good speed for many guys that don´t have a fast wifi router on their installations.

if you can help me with this, please send me a mp.

hope these guides will be interesting and useful.

Zalu2!

 

[WhoDunnit]

@Deen0X

Right, that's part of what's needed and that's how I would do it, but then without DirectoryBind or FolderMount. Do note that the Ouya uses several other directories to store the majority of the larger data files. But something a lot like that was my initial plan for a later version of SDExt2Mounter. However, I prefer a Link2SD kind of solution where you can just select what part of what apps you want to move over.

 

[Deen0X]

@Deen0X

Right, that's part of what's needed and that's how I would do it, but then without DirectoryBind or FolderMount. Do note that the Ouya uses several other directories to store the majority of the larger data files. But something a lot like that was my initial plan for a later version of SDExt2Mounter. However, I prefer a Link2SD kind of solution where you can just select what part of what apps you want to move over.

yes, may be, but any folder on sdcard can be linked to external disk (usb hdd, etc).

the only directory that i cannot move, and may be grow, are the /data/app folder, that is part of the system,

 

[WhoDunnit]

yes, may be, but any folder on sdcard can be linked to external disk (usb hdd, etc).

Of course, that's the whole point. Else FolderMount, DirectoryBind, and Link2SD would not exist.

the only directory that i cannot move, and may be grow, are the /data/app folder, that is part of the system,

And that's the reason I prefer Link2SD where you can pick what you want to move, because it is possible to move large parts of /data/app, as long as you skip the needed system files. Games can be moved from /data/app.

 

[robinscp]

I can't get the app to auto mount. I press the automount button but the writing status red and doesn't say it will mount on boot.

Sent from my GT-I9100 using xda app-developers app

 

[WhoDunnit]

I can't get the app to auto mount. I press the automount button but the writing status red and doesn't say it will mount on boot.

So what changed? You said earlier all was fine. Changed rom? Firmware update?

 

[robinscp]

I've never had the auto mount working.

Only tried the latest version of the app recently.

Sent from my GT-I9100 using xda app-developers app

 

[WhoDunnit]

So more info then, please. What rom are you using, do you have busybox installed, can you mount the partition, does sdext2mounter have root access, can sdext2mounter mount the partition?

 

[robinscp]

So more info then, please. What rom are you using, do you have busybox installed, can you mount the partition, does sdext2mounter have root access, can sdext2mounter mount the partition?

Official rom. Rooted, busybox installed.

The partition mounts manually with sdext2mounter but nothing happens when I press the auto mount button.

Sent from my GT-I9100 using xda app-developers app

 

[robinscp]

So more info then, please. What rom are you using, do you have busybox installed, can you mount the partition, does sdext2mounter have root access, can sdext2mounter mount the partition?

The problem seems to be with the request for super user. When I press the automount button in sdext2mounter the superuser notification allowed comes up but stays up. When I look in the superuser log it seems to be requsting su access continually. (20 times in the same minute.) Even though the mount button was only pressed once.

Sent from my GT-I9100 using xda app-developers app

 

[Toxic_Dragon]

Is this working properly now?

 

[V8vroom]

Open up SuperSU and see if it has updated?

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2

 

[robinscp]

I have got it working.

My problem was that busy box was not installed properly.

The app now auto mounts the drive and I don't lose apps that are linked to the usb partition.

It says the partition isn't mounted but it is and everything works.

Sent from my GT-I9100 using xda app-developers app

 

[LegionTHEFecalExcretion]

is this a better option than foldermount or basically the same?

 

[huckjam]

is this a better option than foldermount or basically the same?

Well foldermount is still needed because this will link the apk and some of the other files to your usb it doesnt link the entire /data/obb/"game here"
folder. So it will do ouya games fine because most of them don't have additional data files but games like MC4 and Vice city still benefit from folder mount because you can put the entire data directory on your usb drive.

That being said I'm still having problems getting this to work from cold boot if I turn on the ouya the first time after power off all my linked data isnt there but if i adb reboot after than it mounts on startup and everything is fine. It seems that its having trouble when its not already mounted then warm rebooted. I have everything setup properly su,busybox,exposed framework, playstore, and ota update turned off mod. Its not really that big of a deal that i have to start then do a quick reboot but I figured I would let you know. Thanks man you really helped me out with this one.:highfive:

 

[frickinjerms]

im on stockplus which has init.d, root, and busybox support and the /data/sdext2 directory but sdext2mounter says it cant mount the partition.. i have a 1.5tb hdd and wireless kb plugged into a powered hub.. theres a 100gb ext4 partition i made in gparted and it is set as a primary.. the ouya has no problem loadimg up all my movies and roms and stuff from the ntfs side of the hdd with this setup.. soooo im stumped

 

[Oscar_david]

I did this a while back just to test it out. It worked back then.

But no I'm on stock plus latest version and link2sd won't run. any others encoutering this?

Sent from my OUYA Console using xda app-developers app

 

[dark_saian]

im on stockplus which has init.d, root, and busybox support and the /data/sdext2 directory but sdext2mounter says it cant mount the partition.. i have a 1.5tb hdd and wireless kb plugged into a powered hub.. theres a 100gb ext4 partition i made in gparted and it is set as a primary.. the ouya has no problem loadimg up all my movies and roms and stuff from the ntfs side of the hdd with this setup.. soooo im stumped

Same here. Link2SD sees the second partition, moves the apks on it but they are still seen by the system in /data/app, so it's not freeing any space for me.

 

[WhoDunnit]

Puzzled

This app was developed and tested using the stock, but rooted Ouya. I understand that when using CM10 on Ouya, things work a little different and automounting doesn't work. I think I can fix that, but without having a CM10 installation myself, I cannot test it, and I as I am quite happy with my Ouya configuration, I do not want to put CM10 on it. So is anyone volunteering for testing a batch of attempts to fix CM10?

The problem reports with Stock+ installations puzzle me, though. As I understand it, Stock+ is actually just stock with some Xposed framework modules installed. I just installed the Xposed Ouya mod collection which bundles most (if not all) modules added in Stock+, and still this app works fine.

As an alternative for people that experience problems with the solution of this threat, and only want to move the big data and obb directories of side loaded apps to and external usb drive, I can recommend using FolderMount. FolderMount is happy to move stuff to a fat32 formatted usbdrive, without fusing about first or second partitions. And as you will only move data files to an external drive, you won't have problems with apps disappearing on boot because the apps are still in the correct place. Just bear in mind that this only seems to work for the apps that would normally store the big data files on /sdcard/. So that excludes the apps from the Ouya store. With Link2SD you can also easily move the internal data of the Ouya games to /data/sdext2.

This FolderMount setup was tested by me on said rooted stock Ouya, with a fat32 formatted 16 GB thumb drive, for the obb file of Asphalt 8. I case people want to know: To get Asphalt 8 running on Ouya you need the Xposed Framework with Google Play and GameLoft patches.